Suspect in Sandy Hook Memorial Park Sign Thefts Arrested in Virginia

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Andrew Truelove (inset, left) is accused of stealing signs from playgrounds dedicated to Sandy Hook victims in Mystic and in New Jersey.

Updated at 6:57 AM EST on Sunday, Jun 1, 2014

A Virginia man accused of stealing two signs from parks honoring victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown and calling a victim’s family, claiming the shooting was a hoax, has been arrested.

Andrew David Truelove, 28, has been arrested in Herndon, Virginia, thanks to the help of Stonington police.

Truelove is accused of stealing a memorial sign for 7-year-old Grace McDonnell from a park in Mystic, Connecticut, and another for 7-year-old Chase Kowalski from a park in Mantoloking, New Jersey.

"He was just being disrespectful. That's the best way I can put it," said Becky Kowalski, Chase's mother. "For them to have no empathy toward myself, my family, and all other families that have lost children... it's sad."

Herndon police in Virginia told NBC Washington that Truelove may be part of a group known as the "truthers" who believe the Sandy Hook school shooting massacres was architected to trigger stricter gun laws.

He is banned from a school property in Herndon, according to police.

"It's hard to explain the why, because from our perspective it doesn't appear rational, that type of thought process," Herndon Police chief Maggie DeBoard told NBC Washington. "We know Sandy Hook occurred, obviously there are a lot of victims in that case. So I can't explain the why, but we do know that this suspect has a troubled past, he has an extensive criminal history, he has criminal history tied to kids."

Police searched the room Truelove rented at a home in the 400 block of Fillmore Street and found the two stolen signs.

But Truelove's father, Alan claims that his son didn't steal the signs, and when asked whether he believes the shootings happened, said he was "not interested" in discussing those events.